The Universe is saturated with Divinity; there is nothing here which is not Divine. Always remember that God is the Base as well as the Superstructure, the inner motive and the outer movement. The body is the temple of the Lord; the atmosphere of this temple is by its very nature filled with love for all beings. The scriptures clearly declare that this understanding can be achieved through performing oneâs duty, and then worshipping the Lord by dedicating to Him this duty. Oneâs intelligence is cleared of the dust of doubt and delusion, through dutifulness and dedication.

The body should be regarded primarily as an instrument for the realisation of the Divine through the nine forms of devotion.

- Divine Discourse.

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Posted:
Fri Aug 10, 2012 12:59 am

What is the significance of this day, Janmashtami and how should we mark this occasion?

Janmashtami is the sacred day which marks the auspicious arrival of the Advent of the Formless, Nameless, and Timeless Absolute into a Living and Loving Form. The Divine appeared as Krishna to charm humanity through His pranks, His play, His song and sweetness and to instruct mankind through His teachings and grace. What one has to do on this auspicious day is to dwell on the elevating thoughts centering round the Lord in this form and take the first or further steps in the spiritual path. Use such sacred days as starting points for propitiating the Form of Godhead which you have chosen for offering homage, the Form which appeals to your innermost yearnings. Do not ascribe evil to any day. Every day is good when you spend it for God. Every star is good, provided its light guides your feet to God.

Worship the husband as the Lord; Serve the children as Sri Krishna was served by Mother Yashoda. See in them the Lord you revere.

- Divine Discourse.

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Posted:
Sun Aug 12, 2012 1:46 am

How should we play and win in the game of life?

Why waste precious time in scandalous talk and criticisms of others' behaviour? Cultivating envy, malice, hatred and anger against others is an evil pastime that recoils on oneself. In every one there is resident the self-same divine spark; so cavilling at the neighbour is tantamount to cavilling at Divinity. The game of life is worth playing and becomes interesting only when there are bounds and rules which limit and control. Imagine a game of football without any rules or boundaries â it will be chaos; it will be a free fight, a riot. No one can say who wins and how. The path of virtuous conduct (Dharma maarga) is the boundary of the field, in the game of life. Play the game, paying heed to the warnings of âfoulâ and âoutâ, and let your virtues win over the vicious tendencies within you.

Life is a challenge, meet it; Life is a game, play it; Life is love, enjoy it.

- Divine Discourse.

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Posted:
Mon Aug 13, 2012 11:23 pm

What is the best way to leverage the precious gift of human birth?

If the mind is immersed in bliss, the body will not suffer from illness. The human body is the vehicle which you have to use for attaining the state of bliss, and so it has to be kept safe and strong for that noble purpose. It is an instrument for spiritual effort, which has been earned by the merit of previous births. Every moment, the body is speedily proceeding towards dissolution, and so time should not be wasted in vain pursuits. Do not get attached to the body; treat it as a wound, which has to be covered by bandage (clothes), treated with drugs (food) and also washed regularly. Then you can get rid of the inordinate attachment, and this is essential because only then will you get the true urge and inspiration to serve others!

Attachment to property or position is born out of a sense of possessiveness. This is the cause of sorrow and unhappiness.

- Divine Discourse.

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Posted:
Wed Aug 15, 2012 11:40 pm

Which is the weed that we must remove from the field of our heart to ensure a steady progress in the spiritual path?

The same current activates all. To realise this and to merge in that Unity is the purpose of this life in the human body. For this consummation, the seeds of attachment to sense objects has to be scrupulously got rid of. A field may look barren and dead, but the first shower of rain will convert it into a green carpet. The seeds of grass in the soil sprout at the touch of dampness. So too, at the first contact with temptation, the seeds of attachment to sense objects sprout and prevent spiritual growth. Spiritual practices must be done sincerely, with a full sense of responsibility. It must not be reduced to empty routine. Realize that to visualize the Lord as the resident in all and as responsible for everything is the hallmark of devotion.

Consider all your acts as worship. Whatever happens, accept it gladly as His handiwork, a sign of His compassion.

- Divine Discourse

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Posted:
Fri Aug 17, 2012 4:20 am

How should we lead our lives in this illusory world so that we may grasp the Ultimate Truth?

In Truth (Sathya), there is no illusion (Mithya). But in the illusory world you have to search for Truth and experience it. This you can achieve only if you rid your mind of all modifications and modulations. Let it be like the sky, which does not bear any mark, though millions of birds fly through it and thousands of planes move across it. Let your mind be unattached, untouched and unaffected. This is the spiritual discipline that will reveal the Reality and ensure you both physical and mental equanimity.

The heart is like a vessel. Fill it with qualities of Truth, Love and Sacrifice.

- Divine Discourse.

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Posted:
Mon Aug 20, 2012 12:59 am

How can we attain happiness that can not be deterred?

Housing, clothing and food gives physical comfort and happiness. Education, development of skills, and knowledge about the world gives a means for livelihood. However the ancient adage says that real and lasting happiness cannot be won by physical happiness. Lasting happiness â happiness that will not be shaken, diminished or modified by changing wheels of fortune can only come by the discipline of the mind, and faith in a Higher Power. The lamp of spiritual awareness has to be lit and fed continuously, so that oneâs footsteps can take that path and proceed unharmed to that state of true happiness.

Every true human being has the noble qualities of adherence to truth, duty, devotion and discipline.

- Divine Discourse

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Posted:
Tue Aug 21, 2012 1:00 am

How can one attain the dissolution of the mind and merge in the Supreme?

Today, your mind flies about anywhere and squats on all sundry objects in the Universe. Like the fly that sits on fair and foul, your mind too flees from one thought to another. The fly will be destroyed if it sits on fire. So too, your mind will be destroyed when it dwells on God. Know that your mind is but a pattern of desires, woven with the warp and woof of the same material. When Rama (God) enters your mind, kama (desire) flees away. This state is called the death of the mind (Mano-naashana) or the merging of your mind (Mano-laya). Each one of you must make your own heart an abode of peace. Analyse your words, deeds and thoughts. Get rid, slowly but surely, of the evil ones that harm you and others. Cultivate fortitude, firm peace and speak only the truth. Let this transformation begin, this very moment in you!

- Divine Discourse

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Posted:
Thu Aug 23, 2012 2:25 am

In what way are we different from the other members of the animal kingdom?

Most people spend the lifetime allotted to them or earned by them in partaking of rich yet harmful foods and drink and indulge in glamorous, harmful pastimes. What a pathetic waste of precious stuff! Though belonging to the animal kingdom, human beings have much more in terms of physical, mental and moral abilities. They have the glorious chance of visualizing their identity with the Mystery that is manifested as this Universe. Human beings forgetting their nature to progress towards Godhood is akin to fire forgetting its capacity to burn or water its nature to wet. Every human being has the capacity to seek and secure the Truth of the Universe of which they are a part of; they have the wherewithal to train themselves in virtue, justice, love and sympathy to escape from the particular to the Universal.

What is the root cause for the increasing number of illnesses? What is the effective cure?

Often we read reports that the number of patients treated are increasing year after year. This is worrisome. Illnesses are caused not so much by the food people eat or the conditions in which they live, but by mental weakness and attitudes, prejudices and predilections. Desires, disappointments, despair â these also cause diseases. For many illnesses, filling the mind with thoughts of God is the curative drug. For others, regimented diet, sleep, appropriate pastimes and activities are effective cures. The scriptures taught this regimen and the proper mental attitudes, and these teachings are invaluable in the present context. Remember, âMitha Thindi, Athi Haayiâ â Moderate food gives excellent health. Eat to live â Do not believe that you live in order to eat.

Love and fortitude, moderate food and moderate sleep - these will ensure the upkeep of your health of body and mind.

- Divine Discourse.

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Posted:
Sat Aug 25, 2012 2:47 am

What is the priceless treasure each one of us is gifted with? How should we utilise this gift?

To be born as a human being is a great piece of luck. For human beings alone can attain the status of the Divine by recognizing the reality of oneâs being. No beast or bird can reach that height of realization. It would be very tragic if instead of valuing the chance and utilizing it, it is frittered here and there and dies without realizing the inner light. You are born as a consequence of the activities you were engaged in, in your past births. Understand that in spiritual matters, faith is the basic requisite for progress. Your faith must be guarded carefully. Yield to the Lord, who is more kin to you than your own parents. Yield to no other. Do not allow your faith to falter with every passing gust of wind. Your duty is to carry on your spiritual practices, undisturbed by what others may say, holding fast to the crucible of your own experience.

Body is a house given to you on rent. Live there so long as God wills, thanking Him and paying Him the rent of faith and devotion.

- Divine Discourse.

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Posted:
Sun Aug 26, 2012 11:54 pm

What is the secret of peace and contentment?

With a little reasoning you can know for yourself the path you need to take, thereafter, it can be trodden step by step until the goal is reached. Whatever be the path, retain this knowledge that attachment causes pain and detachment results in joy. But you cannot easily detach yourself from activity; the mind clings to something or other. Make it cling to God, let it do all things for God and leave the success or failure, the loss and the profit, the elation or the dejection, to God. Then you have the secret of peace and contentment. To get this attitude of surrender and dedication, you must have Faith in God. God, whose play this world is. This world is not an empty dream; it has a purpose and use. It is the means by which one can discover God. See Him in the beauty, the grandeur, the order and the majesty of Nature.

The thirst for worldly goods can never be appeased; trying to satisfy it makes it only more acute.

- Divine Discourse.

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Posted:
Tue Aug 28, 2012 11:19 pm

What is the misleading game played by the senses on us? How can we overcome them?

The scriptures point out the means of securing everlasting joy, but people are drawn to earn shadowy joys and fleeting pleasures that are fraught with evil and harm. They are trying to draw water with a pot full of holes. The senses leak out the joy they draw. The senses are wild untutored servants who dictate terms to their master â the mind. The mind has to be brought under your grip. Then the servants will fawn at your feet. The mind is the monarch; the senses are the soldiers; the soldiers are now ruling the king, because he lends his ears to them and not the intellect, who is the Prime Minister. Let your intellect take charge. The light of the Sun (your Soul) is obstructed by the thick clouds of desire for sense objects and objective pleasure. Let the strong wind of repentance and resolution scatter these clouds, so that the Aatma may shine forth brilliantly.

When you use your senses in a sacred way, you can certainly see the
manifestation of God.

- Divine Discourse

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Posts: 573

Posted:
Thu Aug 30, 2012 11:58 pm

What is the best means of dealing with the ups and downs of life?

Once a merchant asked a sailor how his grandfather and father had met their end. It seems they both had died on the sea. So the merchant asked the sailor whether he was not afraid of sailing on the sea. The sailor then asked the merchant where his forefathers had died. He was told that they had all died in bed. Now the sailor asked the merchant how he was not afraid of going to bed! Everyoneâs life shall come to an end somewhere, somehow; but the wise alone achieve the Divine Vision before the end. If you have the cool spring of devotion within you, the fires of anxiety cannot harm you. Then, every visit of calamity will take on a new meaning, as a sign of Grace, to harden and toughen you, and make you seasoned timber, for His purpose. Be an instrument in the hands of God; let Him use you for any purpose He prefers.

Righteous action and control of the senses are essential for the cultivation of universal love and goodness.

- Divine Discourse

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Posted:
Sat Sep 01, 2012 3:38 am

Sometimes there are some doubts, if our worship of an individual form and the absolute formless can both be true?

The spiritual aspirant is given to wonder which one is better or true - the Saguna (with form) aspect or the Nirguna (formless) aspect of God. Understand that they are like ice and water. Though water is formless, it takes the form of the vessel which contains it. Water and ice are one and the same. Similarly there is no difference between the two forms of worship. In the spiritual journey, Saguna and Nirguna meditation are like the right and left feet. When you worship a form of the Lord, bear in mind the underlying formless aspect. Remember that Godâs Glory can never be contained through words or forms of worship. Similarly, during the Nirguna meditation, do not lose faith or diminish the majesty or glory that the Form carries. The final step, however, must be the auspicious right foot, the Nirguna aspect.

To worship God as immanent in every atom or cell in the body is the
highest form of worship.

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